The evening world., 1887-12-21
MISS CLEvELANDs REFORM.
She Begins n Crusade Against the "Lndies'
Wiudowv Of Pont-Omces.

"tuuoW oI -Om
[Nss Fork Letter 10 Chicago H.ra,d.l
Miss Cleveland, the sister Of the President, has
settled down in this city as a member OF the Faculty
at a fashionable seminary for girls. Nevertheless,
she proposes to use her influence at Washington.
She Will ask for something Of the Post-onice De-
partment, but It Is q matter Of philanthropy. She
believes that the so-called "iadies' window"
upon which 80 many poets have sung and drama
lists have hinged their plots, has come to be an
agency OF Generalization. She has written to the
President on the subject and to the Postmaster
General. The postmasters Of the three great cities
that practically compose New York, as well az Of
the fourteen branch stations. agree that the evil Ia
Rrievous. Thecase that called Miss Cleveland's
attention to the subject was that Of a modest young
girl, but a little inclined towards rebellion AGAINST
her parents, because they had forbidden her cor
dependence with a young man Of her acquaint-
ance. The parents, seeing no more letters come to
the house, supposed their dauph eT was all
obedience, but she had confessed to her uncle that
through The iadies' window. The more serious
feature was that the young man IL not At all the
sort Of fellow for any young girl TO fan in love
the school to which Miss Clevei nd is attached.
:" We'll, " said the Postmaster, to whom com
plant WAS made, 4" there 1t Is again, that satanic
ladies' win1ow. You do not begin to appreciate
the harm 1t does. But what can we do? There
must be a window. call 1t what you VIII, where
men and women and boys and girls having no per
manent address can call for letters addressed sim
ply in the care Of the post-ofice. 1t IS necessary
and good that the convenience be kept up, my dear
sir; the clerk at that window in this once Is trying
to lessen the harm of that window, and what he Is
doing sn mas my ny approval = but every We US su ain,s effort Tort Is un-
RED women VINO give different names to different
persons as their own names; You can have the
letters for Sarah Stewart, but you must always be
Sarah Stewart after this II you take them. You can
not come tomorrow and ask for letters for Sarah
Watkins.' He does that and holds back lots of
letters. but La ha0 no right TO. In yOur relatiye'e
case, II she Is under age and her parents or guar
dian ask us not to deliver letters we can hold them
back or deliver them to her elders, but all the
women wno are OF age can keep on misusing the
Governmental service and there is no lawful way
The ladies' window also accomplshes good in
many cases. Women are apt to make confdants
that the grlzzled men at those windows hear many
queer things when the callers are few and there IL
time to talk and to listen. One Of these conf
dences was that Of a sad visaged wife who asked
that her letters never on any account be given to
any one else, ''because, " she said, ''they bring
me the only money that stands between starvation
and my children and me. My husband does no
work, but drinks up all ] can earn with my needle.
even collecting my earnings before can go and
he can spare, and with that l make up my rent and
get food and clothing for my little ones. l do not
know of this extra money that / get. Then there
are the women who are secretly engaged
% D1 e' at , sssre'l iygd,e %af'1 Window who all tell aeo tSs
why they have taken the step and what terrible
consequences would follow II they were ever found
out. 81 tell you this, though / have never told
any one else" one Of them explained, ''because
] must tell some one. / had to talk TO some one
about 1t, and ] come to you because you are the
securing a regular weekly letter, remarked one
day to the clerk: what a Jolly row there would
be II my folks knew ! was getting these letters.
My sister has married a Christian, and we are
Jewish, You know. she has been renowned by all
my family, but she and I keep each other posted
every week, for she is my sister just the same, and
all she did was to marry the man she was fond of,
after all. Thus the ladies' window lends itself to
the best as well as 20 the weakest and the worst
impulses and motives, and thus, 80 far % any one
can foresee, 1t must continue to do az long az the
post-ofices are public institutions.